Young Blackburn Rovers defender Louie Annesley has joined National League side Barnet on a one-month loan deal, the Lancashire outfit have confirmed.

And in extra detail provided by the non-league side that Annesley is heading to, there is the option to make the deal a permanent one, despite the temporary arrangement only lasting initially one month.

The 22-year-old is yet to make an appearance for Rovers in the EFL, and with a potential permanent exit to the Bees in the works then he may not get another chance.

Annesley, who has amassed 33 caps for the Gibraltar national team, joined Rovers in 2019 from Lincoln Red Imps, who ply their trade in the British Overseas Territory.

The centre-back has predominantly played for Rovers' development squad and also spent part of last season on loan in the fifth tier with Woking, but he eventually made his senior Blackburn debut in the EFL Cup against Bradford City in August of this year.

That could have been Annesley's one and only outing though for Rovers as he looks to make an impression at Barnet, and you can assume that he has no future at Ewood Park if there is the option to make the move permanent to The Hive in there.

The Verdict

Annesley has a lot of players to get ahead of at Blackburn in the pecking order, so it isn't a surprise to see him depart on loan again.

This move to Barnet though is a tad different to last season's stint at Woking in the sense that there is a strong chance that the Gibraltar international will make the switch permanent, which suggests Rovers do not see any future for him at the club.

In Scott Wharton and Dom Hyam, coupled with the veteran Daniel Ayala, Jon Dahl Tomasson has his centre-back options for the next few years, and the chances are that he doesn't see Annesley as Championship quality.

He will now get the chance to prove himself in the fifth tier, and Barnet is perhaps a platform that could mean he starts afresh in non-league and he can work his way back up into the EFL should the loan move go well.